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roger, didn't expect to hit factory spec, trying to understand why, when the car feels better than ever on the gravel county roads I need everyday, positive (static) camber (+1.4 and +1.7) are an issue

it was pre-lift too. Factory alignment specs are positive camber in the front.

also, camber is not adjustable.

EA-series understeer is mostly caused by geometry of the rear end. It actually flexes very well, and in a corner, the front travels less than the rear, and therefore the front gets less grip. really, the only way to combat it, is adding a rear sway bar, which reduces the rear travel, and neutralizes the grip front to rear.

When I lifted my GL, I thought I'd adjust the camber and castor angle. I cut my lifts blocks at 18 degrees instead of 17 to bring the strut tops in to decrease camber. It worked great! at 6" of lift the front tires sit just a tiny bit negative and it really helps in the corners especially with no sway bar. I adjusted the castor angle by extending my radius rods 1.25". It helps high speed road manners and makes it center real nice, it also helps me clear my 30" mudders. I run my toe slightly out, because like most FWD cars, the bushings in the radius rods compress slightly when the front wheels get power bringing the toe back in.

Might want to consider a new alignment guy. I do all my own alignment work and its not hard. It just takes a little addition, subtraction and patience. You need a smooth floor or concrete slab to get it right too. My GL rides better lifted than it did at stock height on stock wheels!

When I lifted my GL, I thought I'd adjust the camber and castor angle. I cut my lifts blocks at 18 degrees instead of 17 to bring the strut tops in to decrease camber. It worked great! at 6" of lift the front tires sit just a tiny bit negative and it really helps in the corners especially with no sway bar. I adjusted the castor angle by extending my radius rods 1.25". It helps high speed road manners and makes it center real nice, it also helps me clear my 30" mudders. I run my toe slightly out, because like most FWD cars, the bushings in the radius rods compress slightly when the front wheels get power bringing the toe back in.

Might want to consider a new alignment guy. I do all my own alignment work and its not hard. It just takes a little addition, subtraction and patience. You need a smooth floor or concrete slab to get it right too. My GL rides better lifted than it did at stock height on stock wheels!

Yup, just takes some time to do it at home, just like you can balance your own wheels.

They run + 1.67 degrees of camber in the front from the factory and -0.30 total toe. Rear is supposed to be 0 degrees of camber and 0 total toe, with a thrust angle of 0 degrees.

I have aligned more EA81s and EA82s then most people that actually do alignments. I have a 5-lug conversion on my RX and I made custom alignment specs for it which I'm also going to be running on my XT6 once I get the rest of the EJ front suspension swapped in.

I know, second thread about camber and castor I've posted in.
Just looking for a little clarification.
Positive camber is stock, makes them better on dirt and offroad.
Has anyone noticed any differences with flattened out camber while driving on stock wheels?
Also, if my mental picture is correct, positive castor (strut top ahead of the axle) makes the suspension apply more positive camber as you turn and negative castor (strut top behind axle) gives you flat to negative camber in corners, right?
So with a lengthened radius rod and camber adjustment/1" lift plate on an 85 BRAT, it should flatten the suspension out in the corners and stop eating my tires from the outside in, correct?
And this shouldn't have too negative an impact on my ability to drive like a madman on dirt, right?

I'm not sure why the EAs have such front positive camber from the factory. I'd guess it's because the early cars didn't have power steering, and positive camber reduces steering effort. I can't see why positive camber would be better off-road, specifically; I'd say zero static camber would be ideal to maximize straight line traction. For street use, negative static camber can counteract the tire's tendency to roll under on hard cornering, and to compensate for the lack of negative camber on body roll.

The lack of caster I can easily understand, as too much caster can cause torque steer on an AWD vehicle. Positive caster will give more negative camber as the wheel is turned; this is what is desired for performance handling. More positive caster will also increase steering effort.